Bailey’s discussion (previous post) also helped me to answer questions about the sexual imagery of Luke 7. Not only do we have references to “feet” (euphemistic for sexual organs), but the woman is said to “touch” him, which often has sexual connotations as well. Plus, the woman looses her hair as she approaches Jesus, something a respectable Jewish woman would likely not do except before her husband.
But that’s just the point: She is acknowledging Jesus as her husband. She is the counterpart of the Samaritan woman in John 4, who discovers the true husband, the “sixth” man, the new Adam.
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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